Trinidad and Tobago President Anthony Carmona, according to civic watch group Fixin T&T, is consistently exploiting the country’s lack of accountability and consequence.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago President Anthony Carmona is snapped before a meeting with China President Xi Jingping in Port of Spain on 2 June 2013.(Copyright Frederic Dubray/AFP 2016/Wired868)

Fixin’ T&T, which is headed by local businessman Kirk Waithe, slammed Carmona’s “reckless” of appointment of Dr Kriyaan Singh as a temporary Independent Senator and also pointed fingers at several of the President’s decisions over the years, including his acceptance of a TT$28,000 per month housing allowance despite already being accommodated at taxpayers’ expense and his apparent delay in initiating investigations into former FIFA vice-president and National Security Minister Jack Warner after a request by the Ken Gordon-led Integrity Commission.

The following is the full press release:

FIXIN’ T&T wishes to make it clear that while we find many of Dr Kriyaan Singh’s online posts and comments to be highly offensive, like every other citizen, Dr Singh enjoys the constitutional and fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression within the confines of the law.

A right we must all jealously guard and vigorously protect. Also, we recognise the fact that Dr Singh did not assign himself a seat on the Independent Bench in our Parliament.

Photo: Temporary Independent Senator Dr Kriyaan Singh.

Our problem therefore, lies squarely with President Anthony Carmona, whose competence and judgement we continue to question and who, yet again, has underscored the dire need for amendments to our Constitution which will make accountability and consequence applicable to the President and the Office of the President.

As of now there appears to be neither and this seems to be consistently exploited by our sitting President.

In addition to the recklessness of his most recent appointment to the Independent Bench:

1. President Carmona has brazenly, publicly and dangerously described views expressed by others, which were not perfectly aligned to his, as ‘donkey cart interpretations’ and ‘rum shop logic’.

2. President Carmona is yet to answer and take responsibility for the $28,000.00 per month housing allowance he received while being afforded accommodation at taxpayers’ expense.

3. Page 44 of the 2015 Auditor General Report, under the title of ‘President-Expenditure Control’, speaks to “85 instances of incorrect classification of expenditure totalling $2,685,236.90 in contravention of Financial Regulation 65 which stipulates that a vote may not be applied to a purpose for which it was not intended.”

Photo: Then Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (right) and her National Security Minister Jack Warner during the 2010 Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago.(Courtesy CONCACAF)

4. President Carmona took approximately 14 months to accede to the Ken Gordon-led Integrity Commission’s request for a Tribunal to investigate Mr Jack Warner.

5. More than two weeks have elapsed since the Strategic Services (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed and to date has not been assented to by President Carmona.

While we appreciate that no timelines are specified for the President to act with respect to appointing a Tribunal and assenting to laws passed in our Parliament, delayed action without explanation is untenable and in our view an abuse of power. We are left to wonder how much more is sitting on President Carmona’s desk awaiting action ‘at his discretion’.

No public office or office holder in our land, including the likes of the President and Chief Justice, must be allowed to function only as it, he or she deems necessary and/or appropriate with impunity.

About Fixin TT

Fixin T&T's mission is the realization of good governance to achieve healthy, holistic, and fulfilling lifestyles for all citizens through the study, promotion, and furtherance of strong democratic institutions; sound infrastructure; integrity in public and corporate affairs; and a culture of respect by all for the laws and regulations of the country to create a safe, secure, efficient and productive Trinidad & Tobago.

The man’s attitude is disgusting. Look at that beaver face. It’s all about spitefulness and wickedness. 1, keeping the senator in the senate despite all the facts on him and 2. Not giving assent to the SSA Bill, three wks after. I despise this man.

Jimi Jorsling, Mr Carmona will do very well having accepted (or maybe ‘requested’?) the Presidency. He will receive two pensions – one from the judiciary and the other his full Presidential salary — for life.

He sent a request through his secretary to the Chief Personnel Officer who approved the payment — in the full knowledge that he was NOT entitled to receive it. It was a form of intimidation, I suppose.

Rhoda Bharath I should clarify: The SRC learned of the allowance AFTER it became public knowledge. As it recommends an allowance only in cases of the unavailability of housing and as the President was domiciled in 3 units at Flagstaff, no allowance was justifiable or recommended. The arrangement was made between the President and the CPO.

Would not be surprised if he hasn’t. He believes that the world is required to wait on him. Apparently he took that view even on the bench; I understand that litigants waited sometimes for years, for his judgement.

Hahaha. That expression is a gift from God maybe. The best schemers tend not to look it. Our political leaders tend to look like angels: Patos, Kamla, Dooks, Prakash…
Anil was never really cut out for this business with his smart man face! Lol.

When I heard him suggest we send electricity to Venezuela to the Venezuelan Pres at a press conference without presumably checking the feasibility of such a remark, I ticked the incompetent box once and for all.

Just before powers made his kooky suggestion about sending our “surplus” electricity across the channel, that very suggestion had appeared in an Express business column. Can’t remember who said it but it referenced the fact that since Arcelor Mittal had been the biggest consumer we should be in a position to do just that. The suggestion sounded silly when I read it in the Express but it sounded downright insane coming from the president of our great Nayshun! It’s nice that our president reads the papers but to shoot off his mouth without our Minister of Energy being given a heads up…dam..that’s incompetence right dey!

Vernal Damion Cadogan, as a titular Head of State, this President has no business engaging any other Head of State on matters of politics. He was out of line. His function with regard to foreign dignitaries, is ceremonial only. I do not know where the Protocol experts went since 2010! We continue to make avoidable gaffes to the global gaze that are not only embarrassing, but have some potential to be dangerous.

Carmona was just trying desperately to be relevant. He also spoke to Maduro about the small arms that proliferate our country from Venezuela. A discussion that needs to be had for sure..but not by him.

I never realised President Powers was slow on the draw with Jack Warner. Now I’m trying to find out if he waited until after Kamla sacked Jack to make the move. Or if there was another reason for his tardiness.

Ok. The initial request to investigate Jack Warner appeared to have been made after his resignation. Although that in itself seems extraordinary.
What do you have to do for the police to pay you any mind in this country when you have a couple mil in the bank?!

Please be reminded that Carmona was the judge when Jack Warner financed the legal submissions to free Panday from jail and JW went on to control the UNC. JW was still in control of the UNC when Carmona was appointed. The passage of legislation meant to assist in the prosecution of criminal activity was supported by an independent senator whose appointment was revoked and another senator appointed. It would appear here that what is at stake is a legislative agenda aimed at prosecuting criminal activity and curiously the President does not appear to be in support of a legislative agenda that might assist in convicting persons implicated in ongoing criminal investigations.

Joey Richardson it’s $28,000 per month, as Jimi said, and please note it is TAX FREE! Unfortunately Jimi Jorsling the ‘legal minds’ and the wider public don’t have the details. Only the members of the Salaries Review Commission, the CPO and the President were involved. (Please note further that the members of the Salaries Review Commission are appointed, and disappointed (!) by the President. Nice eh???

2 weeks agoby wired868Where allyuh?! W Connection and Club Atlético Pantoja engage in Caribbean Club Championship battle in front of a sprinkling of patrons at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 4 February 2018. Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/CA-Images/Wired868